Lions president praises loyal Whiteley and Coetzee

The Lions have managed to tie down captain Warren Whiteley and fullback Andries Coetzee for the next Super Rugby season, with both players having signed one-year contract extensions.

There were suggestions in the media that Whiteley would move to Gloucester in the English Premiership, while Coetzee was believed to be on the radars of both French club Toulon and Sale Sharks in England.

Golden Lions Rugby Union President, Kevin De Klerk, told POWER Sport that “as players, there is nowhere else they would like to go”.

“These offers out of Europe are astronomically high, it is sometimes four or five times more than the types of contracts we are offering in South Africa. So to pass that up for loyalty is a long stretch of the imagination,” De Klerk says.

The Lions will welcome the signings, as they have been hit hard by player movements this year.

The total number of players the Lions have lost this year stands at four, with Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Ruan Dreyer, Franco and Jaco Kriel all set to continue their careers overseas at the end of this Super Rugby season.

De Klerk says it is bitter sweet to lose players, as “on the one hand it’s very sad and on the other hand I’m pleased with them being able to earn more”.

“We’ll never stand in their way. They will always receive my greatest wishes,” De Klerk insists.

The Lions, which is the only remaining South African team in the tournament, are set to face the Waratahs in the Super Rugby semi-finals on Saturday at Ellis Park with kick-off at 15:05.